1. The Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate generally to providing a user with drawing assistance. More specifically, one or more embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods of adjusting user strokes based on semantic labeling information to assist in drawing.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Drawing is an important form of communication and expression. Unfortunately, drawing novices are sometimes hesitant to draw because they feel they lack the creative and technical skills to produce works of satisfactory visual quality. Drawing assistance programs attempt to aid drawing novices in their attempts to create quality drawings. Conventional drawing assistance programs often provide a tutorial approach. While tutorials can help a user produce improved drawings, they often reduce or minimize a user's style. Furthermore, the tutorials, visual cues, and other interaction paradigms can make the user feel less ownership and personal satisfaction with the resultant work.
In order to provide assistance and correct a user's drawing, a guide, such as the results of an edge detection filter that provides an idea of what lines the user should and should not draw can be expedient. The results of edge detection filters, however, present various drawbacks that prevent them being effectives guide for correcting a user's drawing. For example, artists are selective with drawing lines and purposefully leave some features undrawn to create depth and perspective. In contrast, edge detection filters typically produce an abundance of edges. Thus, results of edge detection filters are often too noisy and inconsistent for use as an effective drawing assistance guide.
Along related lines, when an image has regions of high pixel density, an edge detection filter can produce areas of high edge concentration. When a user attempts to sketch a feature in such areas, it can be difficult or impossible to determine which edge should be used as a guide for the user stroke. As such, conventional drawing assistance programs can use one edge to correct a portion of a user stroke, and another edge to correct another portion of the user stroke. The result of such corrections can lead to distorted drawings.
Novices typically believe they are not creative or that they do not possess the appropriate skill level to draw. Drawing novices often share common challenges that cause them to lack confidence and produce works of lesser quality. These challenges can include, among other challenges, the lack of understanding of light, depth, perspective, and element relationships within a drawing. Due to the inability for the novice to overcome these challenges, drawings created by novices are often of poor quality, which cause the novices to shy away from using drawings as a form of communication and expression.
One challenge drawing novices face is how to draw aesthetic looking lines to produce a quality result. Novices are often uncertain about the placement, shape, and curvature of lines. This uncertainty can cause a novice to draw slowly with many corrections along a single stroke. Such strokes typically appear jagged and otherwise lack the dynamic appearance of a stroke of a skilled artist, which is performed with controlled speed and curvature.
Another challenge for drawing novices is that they commonly draw what they “know” rather than what they “see.” For example, when sketching faces, drawing novices tend to draw both the eyes and the mouth as closed almond-shapes. This is in contrast to trained artists that tend to place emphasis on some lines while omitting others to convey structural details and lighting effects. The inability of drawing novices to see and convey contours and lighting effects often leads to simplified representations of objects, and produces a lower quality final result.
Drawing and sketching using computers, tablets, and mobile devices has become increasing popular. Such devices provide many advantages, including accessibility and ease of use. Unfortunately, computing devices can exacerbate the challenges that drawing novices face when drawing. For example, the use of low-fidelity input devices, such as a touch-screen or trackpad, can lead to misplaced, offset, or jittery lines. Indeed, the “fat finger” problem can make it difficult for even more experienced artists to draw in the “correct” spot.
These and other disadvantages may exist with respect to drawing, particularly using touch-screen or other low fidelity devices.